Air Jordan Vs. King James (Rodman's opinion in post #48)

Who knows if Scottie actually said it or not but who cares, what do you think? If LeBron met MJ, both in their primes, who comes out the winner in a one on one?

Personally, I think Magic would be a fairer match up in terms of size and style of play but I think MJ overcomes the paper disadvantages. His toughness, tenacity and clutch play would guide him past LeBron, albeit not easily.

Jordan played with honor. When the Bulls struggled early on in his career and he had to deal with similar issues to that of LeBron he didn't tuck his tail between his legs and scurry off to greener pastures to play with an inter-conference rival no less. No, he stuck it out, had faith in the process and helped build one of the greatest teams to ever suit up. Gambling has nothing to do with basketball and I call grudges "killer instinct". Jordan played with a chip on his shoulder, with an edge. He pretty much had a nemesis in every series he ever played. It seemed to work because you can't debate those numbers.

Magic never really got the best of MJ and just about anything LeBron can do, Magic could do. Magic could and did play all five positions at one point or another. Daggers, post-up, drive to the basket, Magic had it all.

I don't think LeBron is faster than Magic. Have either been clocked in the 40?

With Shaq and Hakeem, that's a different match-up (and I haven't seen enough of Hakeem). LeBron is very much capable of reasonably defending Jordan; the other way round seems much more difficult because of the strength and height difference.

With Shaq and Hakeem, that's a different match-up (and I haven't seen enough of Hakeem). LeBron is very much capable of reasonably defending Jordan; the other way round seems much more difficult because of the strength and height difference.

He let Paul George drive right buy him to posterize Birdman for an and one. He's a lazy defender, you people give him too much credit. Even Rudy Gay has his moments where he looks like a defensive pro but then he makes stupid ass mistakes and makes you forget about it.

He let Paul George drive right buy him to posterize Birdman for an and one. He's a lazy defender, you people give him too much credit. Even Rudy Gay has his moments where he looks like a defensive pro but then he makes stupid ass mistakes and makes you forget about it.

He let Paul George drive right buy him to posterize Birdman for an and one. He's a lazy defender, you people give him too much credit. Even Rudy Gay has his moments where he looks like a defensive pro but then he makes stupid ass mistakes and makes you forget about it.

LeBron is a lazy defender? That's why he was being strongly considered for Defensive Player of the Year, and a First Team All-Defensive Team selection?

That one example is a poor one to summarize a player's defense, you even answered it yourself, Rudy Gay has his moments but makes mistakes, and that's related to basically all players on defense. There's no one in this league that can really shut down a person from being able to score, especially in this league.

We give LeBron much credit for defense, because he deserves much credit. Can defend up to 4 positions, arguably 5, great help/rotation defender, can match him with the opposing team's best scorer, etc.

Well this is clearly personal opinion, and I don't know how you can say that Shaq is better than Hakeem. Put either one on a team and they're an instant contender.

IMO, Hakeem was a much better all around player and would pick him 10 out of 10 times over Shaq (in a vacuum where they're the same age and such). Basically, I think of it like Hakeem needed a good team around him, but he also won a championship where Vernon Maxwell was the 2nd best player on his team....not Kobe Bryant, not Dwyane Wade...Vernon "the headcase" Maxwell. Shaq was dependent on having that 2nd elite scorer on the perimeter for a gameplan to work with him. Basically, Shaq needed more help for his team to dominate. Hakeem just needed guys who could knock down 3 pters.

*Edit: Not to suggest Shaq couldn't "dominate" on his own, especially in a single game. Rather just that he was a slightly more limited player, and they needed an elite perimeter scorer to bring things that ensured proper spacing and offensive balance.

Well this is clearly personal opinion, and I don't know how you can say that Shaq is better than Hakeem. Put either one on a team and they're an instant contender.

IMO, Hakeem was a much better all around player and would pick him 10 out of 10 times over Shaq (in a vacuum where they're the same age and such). Basically, I think of it like Hakeem needed a good team around him, but he also won a championship where Vernon Maxwell was the 2nd best player on his team....not Kobe Bryant, not Dwyane Wade...Vernon "the headcase" Maxwell. Shaq was dependent on having that 2nd elite scorer on the perimeter for a gameplan to work with him. Basically, Shaq needed more help for his team to dominate. Hakeem just needed guys who could knock down 3 pters.

*Edit: Not to suggest Shaq couldn't "dominate" on his own, especially in a single game. Rather just that he was a slightly more limited player, and they needed an elite perimeter scorer to bring things that ensured proper spacing and offensive balance.

Hakeem won his titles with plenty of other talent. Even the year prior to having Drexler, he had the above players + Otis Thorpe (former all-star). Vernon Maxwell wasn't even close to those teams 2nd best player.

Well this is clearly personal opinion, and I don't know how you can say that Shaq is better than Hakeem. Put either one on a team and they're an instant contender.

IMO, Hakeem was a much better all around player and would pick him 10 out of 10 times over Shaq (in a vacuum where they're the same age and such). Basically, I think of it like Hakeem needed a good team around him, but he also won a championship where Vernon Maxwell was the 2nd best player on his team....not Kobe Bryant, not Dwyane Wade...Vernon "the headcase" Maxwell. Shaq was dependent on having that 2nd elite scorer on the perimeter for a gameplan to work with him. Basically, Shaq needed more help for his team to dominate. Hakeem just needed guys who could knock down 3 pters.

*Edit: Not to suggest Shaq couldn't "dominate" on his own, especially in a single game. Rather just that he was a slightly more limited player, and they needed an elite perimeter scorer to bring things that ensured proper spacing and offensive balance.

Of course Shaq needed a lot more help than Hakeem. 4th quarter "Hack-A-Shaq" left him rendered useless on offense because the man couldn't hit a free throw to save his life; no matter the magnitude of the game. Well, at least he was consistent.

One of Jordan's most underrated attributes is his trash talking.. he can get into the players head to throw them off their game. Lebron has shown that he is not the strongest mentally (although that has improved the past couple of seasons, I still would not consider him as mentally tough as Jordan).

Lebron could use his size to his advantage, but if Jordan had the ball on offense I think it would be very difficult for Lebron to stop him, especially if they kept the hand checking rule in place during their one-on-one match.